DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Aug. 24, 2022) – The Mercy College men's soccer team opens their 2022 season on Thursday, August 25th when they play at The College of Saint Rose at 6 p.m.

Who, When and Where

Date/Time: Thursday, August 25th 6 p.m.

Records (2021): Mercy (9-5-2), Saint Rose (10-6-2)

Location: Albany, N.Y.

Last Meeting

Mercy earned a 1-0 win over Saint Rose on September 15, 2021 in Dobbs Ferry.

Scouting the Mavericks

Mercy opens the 2022 season looking to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons and qualify for the ECC Championship for the fourth time in five seasons under seventh-year head coach Pedro Velazquez. The Mavericks went 9-5-2 last season and missed qualifying for the ECC Championship due to a tiebreaker. Mercy has posted a winning record in each of Velazquez's five seasons as head coach. The Mavericks are looking to win their first ECC Championship since 2019 and were picked third in the ECC Preseason Poll. Mercy's leading returning scorer is junior Daniel Dalmau who had nine points on four goals and one assist in 2021. Senior David Breitenbach also returns after posting two goals and three assists. Sophomore Martin Penafiel returns after recording two goals and two assists and seniors Benjamin Van Buren and Kevin Aguilar return on defense. In goal, sophomore Eirik Elvestad returns after going 4-1-1 with 15 saves, a 0.46 goals-against average and .833 save percentage in seven games. Mercy is 4-0-1 in their last five meetings against Saint Rose dating back to 2010. The Mavericks are 3-2 in season openers under Velazquez.

Scouting the Golden Knights

Saint Rose went 10-6-2 last season and advanced to the NE10 Championship Semifinal. The Golden Knights went a program-best 8-3-1 in NE10 play in 2021. Saint Rose has been picked to finish sixth in the NE10 Preseason Poll. The Golden Knights were led last season by Josh Elliott who had a team-high 17 points on a team-high seven goals with three assists. Victor Henriksen had six goals and Nick Koenig had four goals and one assist. In goal, Saint Rose was led by Tomas Rozman who went 8-2-2 in goal with 46 saves, a 0.95 goals-against average and .793 save percentage.

Next Game

Mercy resumes action on Sunday, August 28th when they host New Haven at 3 p.m.